Patrick Vieira Named Senegal Head Coach, Returning to Country of His Birth
The former Arsenal and France midfielder, born in Dakar, replaces Pape Thiaw, who was fired after Senegal's World Cup exit.
Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal captain who was born in Dakar, has been appointed head coach of Senegal's men's national soccer team, the Senegalese Football Federation announced. He replaces Pape Thiaw, who was fired after Senegal's exit from the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32.
The federation called the hire a "strategic move" meant to "establish a high-level technical staff, in line with our country's sporting ambitions," according to a statement posted on social media and reported by Guardian Sport and Al Jazeera. The federation said the date of Vieira's official presentation would be announced later.
Vieira, 50, left Senegal for France at age eight and went on to play more than 100 times for the French national team, winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, according to BBC Sport. This will be his first job coaching a national team. He built his club coaching résumé with New York City FC starting in 2016, then took over Nice in France from 2018 to 2020. He managed Crystal Palace in the Premier League from 2021 until he was fired in March 2023 following a 12-match winless run, then had brief stints at Strasbourg and Genoa in Italy, leaving Genoa by mutual agreement last November with the club at the bottom of Serie A, BBC Sport reported.
A Team In Turmoil
Thiaw took over Senegal in 2024 and led the team to the Africa Cup of Nations title in January, but the trophy was stripped after Senegal's players and staff walked off the field during the final against Morocco, according to BBC Sport. The Confederation of African Football's appeals board later awarded the title to Morocco instead. Senegal has appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a closed-door hearing set for October 8, both BBC Sport and Al Jazeera reported.
At the World Cup this summer, Senegal lost its first two group games, to France and Norway, before beating Iraq 5-0 to reach the knockout rounds, according to Guardian Sport. The team's run ended with a 3-2 loss to Belgium in the round of 32, France 24 reported. The Senegalese federation's president said at the time of Thiaw's dismissal that a pay dispute had created tension within the squad, Guardian Sport reported.
What Comes Next
Vieira is expected to take charge for Senegal's opening qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during the FIFA international window running from September 21 to October 6, according to Al Jazeera. Senegal has been drawn into a qualifying group with Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia, though the Confederation of African Football has not yet released the full schedule, Al Jazeera reported.
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